Blank-creasing machine



March 13, 1934. w sw JR 1,950,636

BLANK CREASING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR i l e EYfi March 13, 1934. G. w. SWIFT, JR

BLANK CREASING MACHINE Filed June 13. 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 m Au w 6 wk. 1.. 1 1..@ i (\N t g a a o o o s s s s a s s o o o o o o o o o o o o I l l l I l Ilk I l l l I I l I I l I I I I I I I I I l I l I I I I l I l I I ll m @QM m mm b \w w w q v 1 It! u I u 1| I O Q A. /////.\\W\\ 0 I III] R A, A, 3, NW FR w NQ be: Ill 1 o 0 0 o o I mm H H .w \w -i HI RN 1 0.. lo, aw NH w w m %N I- I- S RN. NN nu MN. N w MN A Q N QN \\N N QN \sw INVENTOR NEY March 13, 1934.

G. w. SWIFT, JR 1,950,636

BLANK CREAS ING MACHINE Filed June 13. 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet: 5

kYS

March 13, 1934. 5 w, SWIFT, JR 1,950,636

BLANK CREASING MACHINE Filed June 13, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR 49 m 14/. 5A4 9A.

AWYS

March 13, 1934. G. w. SWIFT, JR 1,950,636

BLANK CREASING MACHINE Filed June 13, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 4. mu-k Patented Mar. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BLANK-CREASING MACHINE Application June 13, 1933, Serial No. 675,535

20 Claims.

This invention relates more especially to the general type of blank-creasing machines shown and described in U. S. Patent No. 1,408,486 which was granted in my name under date of larch 7, 1922.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of parts in a machine of this character to faccilitate its adjustment for different kinds of work; to increase the accuracy with which the blanks may be delivered to the creasing or scoring units and maintained in proper registry in respect to the operations to be performed thereon. For this purpose, my invention contemplates a series of paired feed rolls which operate in timed relation to the movements of the blank-creasing units to which they deliver the blanks past a gage roller which may be suitably spaced from the intake end of one of the creasing units to insure the proper delivery of the blank at high velocity.

One of the objects of my present invention is to provide an improved construction for creasing mechanism suitable for receiving blanks from and to be driven in timed relation with the blank-creasing, -slotting and -printing machine shown in my copending application Serial No. 669.156, which was filed in my name under date of May 3, 1933.

Another object of my invention is to provide in a machine for producing parallel creases in a blank of corrugated board, means of improved construction for permitting the bodily sidewise shifting of a plurality of creasing sets with reference to one another and for adjusting and maintaining said sets in various angular relations to each other in respect to convergence for the purpose of securing parallelism of the scorings produced in different kinds of work.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved construction for at least one of the cooperating opposed lines of groove and tongue members which comp-rises a series of alternately arranged fixed axis rolls and fixed shoes.

One of the particular objects of my invention is to provide a power-transmitting connection of improved construction between a power shaft rotatable about a fixed axis and a driven shaft journalled in an adjustable frame which carries a sprocket chain whose links comprise one of the cooperating opposed lines of scoring members in a machine for forming longitudinal creases in a blank.

In the drawings which exemplify my invention in a preferred embodiment,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a creasing machine constructed in accordance with the principles of my present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the creasing units, parts being broken away and parts shown in elevation.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the central portion of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the machine corresponding to line 4-4 of Figure 2. W

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical section of the right-hand side of the machine corresponding to line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a horizontal detailed section on the line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure '7 is a reduced section on the line '7-7 of Figure 2.

Figure 8 is a detached perspective view of one of the grooved creaser members.

Figure 9 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the creaser shoes removed.

According to the present embodiment of my invention, each of a pair of laterally spaced fixed side frames 1 and 2 is provided at the top with a track bar 3 (see Figure 5). Each of said track bars is suitably formed to provide laterally spaced rails 4 for guiding the carrying wheels or rollers 5 of a truck frame which carries the blank-creasing mechanism to be hereinafter described. Said truck frame or carriage comprises laterally spaced side frames, each made up of a channel bar 6, a channel bar '7, a side plate 8 and a top rail 9 of L-shaped cross-section. The several parts of each side frame bolted together in the manner indicated in Figure 5. The side frames of the carriage are united at the top by spaced transverse guide bars 10 and at the bottom by spaced transverse guide bars 11, fragmentary portions of said guide bars being illustrated in crosssection in Figure 2 of the drawings. As shown in Figure 2, each of the guide bars 10 and 11 is surmounted by a broad, flat flange or plate 12 upon which a slide 13 is slidably mounted under the constraint of splines or feathers 14.. Suitable means for holding each of the slides 13 in slidable engagement with the top plate 12 may be provided by means of a clamping plate 15 which may be secured in positive engagement with the flange or plate 12 by means of a cap screw 16. Each of the slides 13 is provided with an upwardly presented bearing lug 17, said bearing lugs being arranged in pairs for rotatably supporting a rotary adjustment shaft 18, said shaft being provided with squared ends 19 for receiving a square socket wrench. Keyed other end upon a driving sprocket wheel 42. As

to the shaft 18 are two spur gears 20 which mesh with rack bars 21 mounted on the flange or plate 12, the construction being such that whenever the shaft 18 is rotated within its bearings 17, the oppositely arranged slides 13 are moved forwardly or rearwardly over the guide bars 11. As indicated in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, the present embodiment of my invention contemplates four laterally spaced upper creasing units and a corresponding number of lower creasing units for forming creases in a blank B which has previously been provided with slots 1) along opposite edges of the blank, said creases being formed between the adjacent inner ends of the slots 5. Each of the lower blank-creasing units is provided with a laterally adjustable support 22 of the form shown in Figure 2, said support being provided with downwardly presented branches 23 with base flanges 24 resting upon the oppositely arranged slides 13. As shown in Figure '7 of the drawings, the flanges 23 of the support 22 are provided with openings 25 and 26 for accommodating the shaft 18 which extends through said openings and permit a limited angular adjustment of the support 22 with respect to the shaft 18. For this purpose, the left-hand base flange 24 of the suppor 22 is provided with a circular opening 240. of larger diameter than the shank of a cap screw 27 which secures the base flange 24 to the slide 13 in any adjusted position of the support 22. The right-hand flange 24 of the support 22 is secured to the corresponding slide 13 by means of a cap screw 28 which passes through a circular hole in the base flange 2d of the support 22 with just sufiicient play to permit a slight angular movement of the support 22 about the axis of the cap screws 28. It is by means of this angular adjustment of the several blank-creasing supports that the graded angular arrangement of the blank-creasing units shown in Figure 3, is provided for. Referring now to Figure 5 of the drawings, each of the lower supports 22 is provided with a horizontal flange 29 and a vertical flange 30. Threaded into the horizontal flange 29 at spaced intervals as shown in Figure 2, are a plurality of set screws 31 which may be secured in adjusted positions by check nuts 32, said set screws being adapted to impinge upon the lower edge of an elongated block or carrier frame33 for a series of creasing members to be presently described. Threaded into each of the frames or blocks 33 are a series of cap screws 34 by means of which said blocks 33 may be secured to the flanges 30 in any adjusted position, suitable allowance for the angular adjustment of the blocks 33 being provided for by slots 30a which permit a limited movement of the cap screws 34. As shown in Figure 50f the drawings, each of the creaser frames or blocks 33 is provided with a central longitudinal slot for the reception of a series of creasing members. Each creasing member is carried by a pintle 35. Keyed to each of the pintles 35 is a race disk 36 for the ball bearings 37 of a blank-creasing ring 38. The creasing ring 38 is thus arranged to cooperate with the groove 39 in each of a series of channel-shaped creasing members 40 which, as shown best in Figure 2, are linked together in the form of an endless chain. Each of said endless chains may be suitably mounted at one end upon a carrier sprocket wheel 41 and at its shown in Figure 6 of the drawings, the driving sprocket wheel 42 is provided with an axially extended hub 43 which is journalled in ball bearings 44 in the forwardly presented extension 45 of a blank-creasing support or frame 46 which is angularly adjustable upon the spaced upper guide bars 10 in a manner substantially similar to that of the lower blank-creasing supports 22. The construction for this purpose is clearly shown in Figure 2, a detailed description of the same being rendered unnecessary by the foregoing description of the adjustments for the lower supports 22. Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, the blank-feeding, -slitting, and -creasing machine in which my invention has been presently embodied, is shown in closeup relation to a spur gear 4'? by means of which power may be transmitted from the second printing unit shown in my above-identified copending application Serial No. 669,156. In this close-up position of my present machine, power is delivered by the spur gear 47 to a large spur gear 48 which in turn meshes into a large spur gear 49 for transmitting power to a spur gear 50. Said spur gear 50 meshes into a smaller spur gear 51 on the outer end of a power-transmitting shaft 52, said shaft 52 being journalled in the opposite side plates 8 of the carriage side frames. As shown in Figure 6 of the drawings, a spur gear 53 is keyed to the shaft 52 adjacent to each of the upper creaser support 46, said spur gear 53 being provided with an axially extended hub portion 54 which extends through an opening 15a in the support 46 and is provided on its outer end with a part-spherical journal 55. The journal 55 is adapted to provide an oscillatory bearing support for the frame 46 through a correspondingly formed bearing ring 56 which is constructed in two sections and secured to the lateral surface or the supporting frame 46. It will be understood from this description that an angular adjustment of the creaser supporting frame 46 upon the upper slides 13 in the manner hereinbefore described, will be oscillatably supported from the shaft 52 by the part-spherical bearing between parts 54 and 55. The sprocket wheel shaft 43 carries at one end a driven spur gear 5'? which meshes into the driving spur gear 53, the limited angular adjustment of the shaft 43 being accommodated for by a suitable amount of play between the gears 53 and 57. As shown in the righ"- hand portion of Figure 2, between each. creasing ring 38 and the next one in series thereto, is disposed a blank-creasing shoe 58 which is shown detached in Figure 9 of the drawings. Said shoe is presented upwardly from a fiat plate 59 provided with screw holes 69 through which screws may be threaded into the bifurcated plates of the creaser support 33. It will be understood from this description that as the depth of the crease increases, the shoes 58 are adapted to prevent the blank from adhedng to the creaser rings 35 and to form a substantially continuous support for the material in the blank as it is fed through the creasing mechanism. For this purpose, the upper edges of the creaser shoes 58 are slightly depressed with respect to the upper edges of the creaser rings 38. Suitable means for guiding the blanks smoothly into the intake end of the creasing mechanism, may be provided as follows. Presented rearwardly at one end of the lower creaser support 33 is an integrally formed anvil or guide block CAD 61 which is provided with an inclined upper surface 62 which forms with the entering creaser rings 40 a substantially web-shaped space into which the forwardly presented edges of the successive blanks-are projected as they move into the creasing mechanism. Adjustably mounted upon a contracted neck portion of the creaser support, is a bifurcated bracket 63 which may be adjusted vertically by a screw 64 and secured in said position by a set screw 65. Journalled in the bracket 63 is a gage roll 66 which may be moved closer to or farther from the lower edge of the endless creaser chain 40 for the purpose of bringing the blank into snug feeding engagement with the lower edge of the endless chain oreaser 40 prior to its progress through the gradually lessening space between said creaser belt and the successive blank creasing rings.

In a machine of the character described above, it is important that the blanks which are fed successively into the creaser mechanism be kept in proper registry in respect to operations previously performed on the blanks and in respect to the creasing operations which are to follow. For this purpose, suitable feed rolls are provided which may be adjusted to give the correct pressure on blanks of different thicknesses for maintaining said blanks in predetermined timed relation to the operations of successive parts. As shown in Figure l of the drawings, the spur gear 48 meshes into a spur gear 67 on the end of a combined slitter and feed roll shaft 68. The spur gear 6'? drives a pinion 69 on one end of a crossshaft 70, power being delivered from the pinion 69 to a spur gear 71 on a lower feed roll shaft '72. On the far end of the cross-shaft '70 is keyed a spur pinion which is similar in construction to and meshes with an idler spur pinion '73, said pinion 73 being in mesh with a spur gear '74 which is keyed to the far end of an upper feed roll shaft '75. The spur gear 73 also meshes into a spur gear 76 on the far end of an upper feed roll and slitter shaft '77. Intermeshing with the spur gear 67 and a spur gear 78, is an idler pinion 79. The spur gear 78 is keyed to the near end of a lower feed roll shaft 80. Meshing with the spur gear '78 is a spur pinion 81 which drives an upper pinion 82, said pinion 82 being in mesh with a spur gear 83 on 'an upper feed roll shaft 84. It will be understood from this description of the power transmission to the several feed rolls that a vertical adjustment of the upper feed roll shafts '75, 77 and 84 can be accomplished without materially disengaging any of the driving gears since the driven gear on each of said upperfeed rolls moves tangentially on the gear by which it is driven in the vertical direction of adjustment. The upper feed roll shaft '75 may be adjusted by means of a hand wheel 85 which operates through a spur gear connection 86 for raising and lowering said feed roll shaft. A similar adjustment operated by a hand wheel 87 may be adapted to raise and lower the feed roll and slitter shaft 77. A hand wheel 88 may be similarly employed for imparting a vertical adjustment to the feed roll shaft 84. As shown in the lower right-hand corner of Figure l, a locking bolt 89 may be provided with a rack 90 engaged by a spur gear 91 on a shaft 92 which may be oscillated by a hand lever 93 for throwing the bolt 89 into and out of a socket 94 when the blank-creasing machine is in operating connection with the second printing couple as referred to above.

I claim:-

1. In creasing mechanism of the character described, the combination of opposed lines of blank-creasing members, the blank-creasing members of one line being provided with tongues and the blank-creasing members of the other line being provided with grooves, of a gage roll adjustable with and relatively to one line of said blank-creasing members in respect to the other line of said blank-creasing members.

2. In a machine for producing parallel scorings, the combination of a plurality of sets of opposed lines of tongue and groove members, of a gage roll movable with one line of said members towards and away from the other line of said members, said gage roll being further ad.- justable towards and away from said other line of said members and relatively to the first-mentioned line of members.

3. In creasing mechanism, the combination of opposed lines of creasing members, the members of one line being provided with tongues and the members of the other line being provided with grooves, of a power shaft for driving one line of said creasing members, a carrier frame for the last-mentioned line of creasing members, a gear I non-rotatably mounted on said power shaft and oscillatably bearing on said carrier frame, and a gear rotatable on a fixed axis with respect to said carrier frame for transmitting power to the last-mentioned line of creasing members, said fixed axis gear being permanently in mesh with the gear on the power shaft.

4. A scoring mechanism comprising coop rating opposed lines of scoring members, one of said lines being in the form of a series of rolls rotatable about fixed axes spaced apart in the direction of travel of a blank which is to be scored and a series of scoring shoes respectively interposed between successive pairs of said rolls and fixed in respect to the fixed axes of said rolls.

5. In a machine for producing parallel scorings, the combination of a plurality of cooperating opposed lines of scoring members, with means permitting bodily shifting of said sets sidewise with reference to one another, a pair of positively driven feed-rolls geared together to rotate in unison with each other and having positively geared connections with one line of said opposed lines of scoring members, and an idler gage roll interposed between said feed-rolls and the other line of said opposed lines of scor ing members, said idler gage roll being adjustable vertically towards and away from the line of scoring members geared to said feed-rolls.

6. A scoring machine of the character claimed in claim 5, in which one feed roll which is adjustable vertically is provided with a gear and in which an idler gear meshes therewith with the feed-roll gear in a tangential plane substantially parallel to the plane of movement of the adjustable feed-roll.

'7. A scoring machine of the character claimed in claim 5, in which the other line of said scoring members comprises a series of spaced rolls adapted to operate upon a blank in the common plane of operation of said feed-rolls, shoes being interposed between successive rolls, and in which said scoring rolls and shoes are movable together towards and away from said common plane of operation of the feed-rolls.

8. In a creasing machine of the character described, the combination with a carriage provided with laterally spaced side frames, a pair of lower transverse guide bars rigidly uniting said side frames at the bottom, a pair of upper transverse guide bars rigidly uniting said side frames at the top, a plurality of laterally spaced upper creaser units slidably suspended from said upper transverse guide bars, means for arranging said upper creaser units in graded angular relations to each other, a plurality of laterally spaced lower creaser units slidable laterally on said lower transverse guide bars, means for arranging said lower creaser units in graded angular relations to each other, a plurality of pairs of feed-rolls journalled in said side frames for delivering blanks to said creaser units, and a permanent gearing train for driving said feed-rolls and some of said creaser units, said gearing train including a gear movable by the movement of said carriage into and out of geared connection with a machine which delivers blanks to said feed-rolls.

9. A creasing machine of the character claimed in claim 8, in which one creaser unit of each cooperating pair comprises an endless chain of creasing members, sprocket wheels for driving said endless chain, a spur gear rigidly united to one of said sprocket wheels, 2, carrier frame for the creaser unit, and in which a power shaft journalled in said side frames and driven by said permanent gearing train is provided with a gear permanently in mesh with the first-mentioned spur gear.

10. A creasing machine of the character claimed in claim 8, in which one creaser unit of each cooperating pair comprises an endless chain of creasing members, sprocket wheels for driving said endless chain, a spur gear rigidly united to one of said sprocket wheels, a carrier frame for the creaser unit, and in which a power shaft journalled in said side frames and driven by said permanent gearing train is provided with a gear permanently in mesh with the first-mentioned spur gear, said power shaft gear being provided with an extension hub which articulately engages said carrier frame.

11. In a creasing machine of the character described, the combination with a fixed creaser frame, a power shaft journalled therein, laterally spaced creaser units slidably mounted on said fixed creaser frame and angularly adjustable in respect thereto, a driven shaft journalled on an axis fixed in respect to each creaser unit, articulated gears keyed respectively to said power and driven shafts, said driven shaft being provided with a journalling support which partakes of the angular adjustments of the creaser unit corresponding thereto, a ball and socket connection between said journalling support and the gear on said power shaft corresponding thereto, and other creaser units cooperatively arranged respectively to the first-mentioned creaser units.

12. In a creasing machine of the character described, the combination with a creaser frame comprising laterally spaced side frames, a pair of lower transverse guide bars rigidly uniting said side frames at the bottom and a pair of upper transverse guide bars rigidly uniting said carriage side frames at the top, of a plurality of laterally spaced upper creaser chain supports slidably suspended from said upper transverse guide bars, an endless creaser chain movable on each of said upper reaser chain supports, a sprocket drive shaft journalled in each upper creaser chain support for driving said creaser chain, a power shaft journalled in said laterally spaced side frames, said upper creaser chain supports being adjustable angularly with respect to the axis of said power shaft, means for articulately supporting each of said upper creaser chain supports from said power shaft, articulated gearing for connecting each of said sprocket drive shafts to said power shaft, a plurality of laterally spaced lower creaser supports slidable laterally on said lower transverse guide bars, means for adjusting said lower creaser supports on said lower transverse guide bars, and means for angularly adjusting each of said lower creaser supports with respect to said lower transverse guide bars.

13. In a creasing machine of the character described, the combination with a creaser frame comprising laterally spaced fixed side frames, upper transverse guide bars rigidly uniting said side frames, and lower transverse guide bars rigidly uniting said side frames, of laterally spaced creaser chain supports slidably mounted on said upper transverse guide bars, an endless creaser chain and sprockets therefor mounted on each of said creaser chain supports, said creaser chain supports being angularly adjustable with respect to said upper transverse guide bars, a power shaft journalled in the fixed side frames of said creaser frame, said creaser supports being provided with openings through which said power shaft extends, a sprocket shaft journalled in each creaser chain support, one of said sprockets being keyed th reto, a gear keyed to said sprocket shaft, a gear keyed to said power shaft adjacent to each creaser chain support, the last-mentioned gear being permanently in mesh with the gear on said sprocket shaft and having an extended hub extending through the opening in the adjacent creaser chain support, a ball and socket joint between said extended hub and said adjacent creaser cha n support, and lower creaser units mounted on said. lower transverse guide bars.

l. In a creasing machine of the character described, the combination with laterally spaced fixed side frames, of a carriage movable longitudinally on said side frames, said carriage comprising side frames respectively movable endwise on said fixed side frames, a pair of lower transverse guide bars rigidly uniting said movable side frames of the carriage at the bottom, a pair of upper transverse guide bars rigidly uniting said -aovabl side frames of the carriage at the top, a plurality of laterally spaced upper creaser chain supports slidably suspended from said upper transverse guide bars, an endless creaser chain movable on each of said upper creaser chain supports, a rotary shaft extending longitudinally of each creaser chain support, a rack bar carried by each of said upper transverse guide bars and extending past said rotary shafts, gears keyed to each of said rotary shafts and meshing with said rack oars respectively, a plurality of laterally spacer. lower creaser supports slidable laterally on said lower transverse guide bars, a rack bar mounted on each of said lower transverse guide bars, a rotary shaft extending lon itudinally of and journalled in each of said lower creaser supports, gear pinions keyed to each of shafts and respectively meshing with the lastnientioned r ck bars, a plurality of creasing rolls journalled about axes spaced longitudinally with respect to and cooperating with said creaser chain, an adjustable support for said creaser the last-mentioned rotary rolls for positioning said creaser rolls in graded proximity to the lower run of said endless creaser chain, and means for angularly adjusting each of said adjustable supports in a horizontal plane.

15. In a creasing machine of the character described the combination with a frame provided spaced transverse guideways, of

7 slides movable on said guideways, each of said "slides being provided with a bearing lug, a rack bar mounted on each of said transverse guide ways adjacent to the paths of said slides, a rotary shaft journalled in said bearing lugs, said rotary shaft being provided with gears respectively in mesh with said rack bars for moving said slides in unison, a cr aser support pivoted at one end to one of said slides and having its other end connected to the other of said slides by a pin and slot connection, and blankcreasing means mounted on said creaser support.

16. In a machine of the character described, the combination with laterally spaced side frames, a top frame, and a bottom frame, upper and lower transverse guides mounted on said top and bottom frames, a plurality of upper slides reciprocable laterally in pairs on said upper transverse guides, a plurality of lower slides reciprocable laterally in pairs on said lower transverse guides, means for shifting each pair of slides in unison'on their respective transverse guides, an upper creaser support pivotally mounted on one slide in each pair of upper slides and having a pin and slot connection with the other upper slide of that pair, a lower creaser support pivotally mounted on one slide in each pair of lower slides and having a pin and slot connection wi h the other lower slide of that pair, cooperating pairs of upper and lowe'r creaser units mounted on said creaser supports, a power shaft journalled on a fixed axis in said side frames and a driving gear splined to said rotary shaft for one of said creaser units in each cooperating pair.

17. In a machine of the character described, the combination with upper and lower transverse guides, of a plurality of upper slides reciprocable laterally in pairs on said upper transverse guides, a plurality of lower slides reciprocable laterally in pairs said lower transverse guides, a rotary shaft journalled in each pair of said upper and lower slides, a rack bar mounted on each of said upper and lower transverse guides, gear pinions keyed to each of said rotary shafts and .ieshing with said rack bars respectively, an upper creaser support mounted on each pair of upper slides, a lower creaser support mounted on each pair of lower slides, a creaser unit mounted on each of said creaser supports, said creaser units being arranged in cooperating pairs of upper and lower creaser units, a power shaft journalled on a fixed axis, and a driving gear splined to said rotary shaft for each of said upper creaser units, said driving gear being provided with a hub in movable engagement with the adjacent creaser support.

18. In a machine of the character described, the combination with laterally spaced guides, of a carriage reciprocable on said laterally spaced guides, said carriage comprising laterally spaced side frames, a top frame, and a bottom frame, upper and lower transverse guides mounted on said top and bottom frames, a plurality of upper slides rociprocable laterally in pairs on said upper transverse guides, a plurality of lower slides reciprocable laterally in pairs on said lower transverse guides, a rotary shaft journalled in each pair of said upper and lower slides, a rack bar mounted on each of said upper and lower transverse guides, gear pinions keyed to each of said rotary shafts and meshing with said rack bars respectively, an upper creaser support pivotally mounted on one slide in each pair of upper slides and having a pin and slot connection with the ther upper slide of that pair, a lower creaser support pivotally mounted on one slide in each pair of lower slides and having a pin and slot connection with the other lower slide of that pair, a creaser unit mounted on each of said creaser supports, said creaser units being arranged in cooperating pairs of upper and lower creaser units, a power shaft journalled on a fixed axis in said side frames and extending through alined openings in said upper creaser supports, and a driving gear splined to said rotary shaft for each of said upper creaser units, said driving gear being in movable engagement with the adjacent creaser support.

19. In a machine of the character described, the combination with laterally spaced side frames, a top frame, and a bottom frame, upper and lower transverse guides mounted on said top and bottom frames, a plurality of upper slides reciprocable laterally in pairs on said upper transverse guides, a plurality of lower slides reciprocable laterally in pairs on said lower transverse guides, a rotary shaft journalled in each pair of said upper and lower slides, a rack bar mounted on each of said upper and lower transverse guides, gear pinions keyed to each of said rotary shafts and meshing with said rack bars respectively, an upper creaser support pivotally mounted on one slide in each pair of upper slides and having a pin and slot connection with the other upper slide of that pair, a lower creaser support pivotally mounted on one slide in each pair of lower slides and having a pin and slot connection with the other lower slide of that pair, cooperating pairs of upper and lower creaser units mounted on said creaser supports, a power shaft journalled on a fixed axis in said side frames and extending through alined openings in said upper creaser supports, and a driving gear splined to said rotary shaft for each of said upper creaser units, said driving gear being provided with an elongated hub having a ball and socket connection with the adjacent creaser support.

20. In a machine of the character described, the combination with laterally spaced guides, of a carriage reciprocable on said laterally spaced guides, said carriage comprising laterally spaced side frames, a top frame, and a bottom frame, upper and lower transverse guides mounted on said top and bottom frames, a plurality of upper slides reciprocable laterally in pairs on said upper transverse guides, a plurality of lower slides reciprocable laterally in pairs on said lower transverse guides, a rotary shaft journalled in each pair of said upper and lower slides, a rack bar mounted on each of said upper and lower transverse guides, gear pinions keyed to each of said rotary shafts and meshing with said rack bars respectively, an upper creaser support pivotally mounted on one slide in each pair of upper slides and having a pin and slot connection with the other upper slide of that pair, a lower creaser support pivotally mounted on one slide in each pair of lower slides creaser supports, and a driving gear splined to said rotary shaft for each of said upper creaser units, said driving gear being provided with an elongated hub having a ball and socket connection with the adjacent creaser support. GEORGE W. SWIFT JR. 

